Deepfake by Makis Malafekas

Deepfake by Makis Malafekas

Wanderer, washed-up writer and part-time philosopher of Athens’ nightlife, Michalis Krokos is more comfortable watching the Johnny Depp trial on livestream than getting down to his next book. But his apathetic state is shattered when prosecutor Sofia Charitsi shows up with some startling news. His long-lost friend Rebecca, a sharp-tongued trans sex worker, is in serious trouble. For some reason, a violent far-right group, ONET wants her silenced, and fast.

To rescue her, Krokos agrees to go undercover as a fake news copywriter inside ONET’s inner circle. Write a few lies, steal a few secrets, take down a fascist or two. All in a day’s work, right? But what begins as a rescue mission spirals into a wild dive through backroom deals, blackmail, and political paranoia. Sofia is hiding her own complicated past with ONET’s megalomaniac leader, and Krokos ends up just trying to stay alive long enough to write something that might be worth publishing.

Part literary noir, part darkly comic political thriller Deepfake explores truth, loyalty, and the absurd theatre of modern politics— set in the heart of a sweltering, sleepless Athens.

Makis Malafekas studied art history and social anthropology. He presented seminars at the Sorbonne on the history of European comics, and worked at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. He has written articles for Eleftherotypia's "9", Libération, Lifo and others. Deepfake is the third in the series of/by Michalis Krokos, after De les kouventa (Ink 2018) and Mesakti (Ink 2020). Makis lives and works in Brussels and Athens.